Syracuse Football: Full schedule breakdown for the Orange

The 2018 Syracuse football schedule has been released. ITLH breaks down all the juicy details from the schedule and what to expect.

The Syracuse football season has been over for a while now. Understandably Orange fans are hungry for some news and analysis.

Well ask and you shall receive, the Syracuse football schedule has been officially released. We’ve known the who for a while, but now we have all the other ancillary details.

When they’re playing, where they’re playing, and now we can start to predict how the Orange will do in 2018.

We bring up the question every offseason, ‘the blitz for six’, how can the dome dudes get back to a bowl game. Six wins nearly guarantees a bowl berth, SU hasn’t been there since 2013, it’s time to end the drought.

Syracuse Football 2018 schedule breakdown:

September

September 1st: at Western Michigan (6-6)

• The Orange have a chance to get off to a quick start in 2018. The Cuse will be opening up with a road affair against a team they’ve never faced in their history. While Western Michigan did win six games last year, this is an opponent the Orange should be able to beat.

September 8th: Wagner (4-7)

• Another ho-hum opponent, which means the Cuse has a strong chance of opening up the season 2-0. Although we said that this past season and the Cuse overlooked Middle Tennessee State and Scott Shafer, that didn’t pan out so well.

September 15th: Florida State (7-6)

• A huge conference game slips in there for the Orange very early in the season. While this will be a home game for the Cuse, it’ll prove a tough out. Especially considering the new man at the helm of the Seminoles in Willie Taggart. I’m not sure if this will be a 76-61 kind of shootout, but it’ll be high scoring.

September 22nd: Connecticut (3-9)

• Connecticut has been a dumpster fire the last several years. The last time these two foes played, the Orange were able to really assert themselves and win pretty comfortably. This time, the game will be played in the lovely confines of the loud house.

September 29th: at Clemson (12-2)

• To wrap up September, the Orange travel down to Death Valley. The last time the Orange traveled down south they were blown out 54-0. SU did upset Clemson on Friday October 13th, expect the Tigers to remember that moment vividly.

October

October 6th: at Pittsburgh (5-7)

• A storied rivalry between these two teams. SU plays Pitt annually and last season SU snapped a four-game winning streak by the Panthers with their 27-24 win. Although both teams struggled down the stretch.

October 13th: Bye week

• Last year as we mentioned during this time the Orange were celebrating one of the biggest upsets in Syracuse history. Instead they’ll be on the couch resting up.

October 20th: North Carolina (3-9)

• After riding the Mitchell Trubisky train, this past season UNC fell off the face of the earth. This is a very winnable game for the Orange and one they’ll have to get to stay in the bowl picture this late in the season.

October 27th: NC State (9-4)

• SU certainly had their chances last year with a ton of these teams including NC State on the road. Ultimately the Cuse fell short, but this time around it’ll be played in the Carrier Dome. The Wolfpack is losing a top-five pick in the 2018 NFL Draft with Bradley Chubb taking his talents to the NFL, that’s good news for the Orange who couldn’t stop him in their previous meeting.

November

November 3rd: at Wake Forest (8-5)

• This was a team SU should’ve beaten the last two years, but under this Dino Babers era they found different ways to lose this game. The Demon Deacons aren’t scrubs but this is more so a 60-40 game, a game that the Orange should be favored in or at least be a pick em scenario. SU has struggled on the road over the years, so that’s a factor as well.

November 9th: Louisville (8-5)

• Hallelujah no more Lamar Jackson! Dino Babers joked several times that he’s not human and I concur. Former Heisman trophy winner and freak of nature is no longer roaming the sideline. Although I can’t wait to see Jackson at the next level, he’s going to be a really special player.

November 17th: vs. Notre Dame (10-3)

• As we talked about previously, this was a huge win for the Orange. This game will no longer be played in South Bend, Indiana. Instead it’ll be played at Yankee Stadium. Thus turning what appeared to be a hostile environment into one that is closer to home. As a son of a die hard Notre Dame fan, I’m well aware of the history of the golden domers. I’m not saying playing at Yankee Stadium will be cooler than South Bend, because that place is special, but I’ll say it’s going to be a pretty awesome experience.

November 24th: at Boston College (7-6)

• This will make it twice in a row that the Syracuse football squad will wrap things up against Boston College. This past finale was almost an aberration due to the level of injuries the Orange had and the lifelessness of their efforts in the contest.

Next: Syracuse Basketball: Darius Bazley Named To 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game

Initial thoughts: the Syracuse football squad will get back to a bowl game in 2018 and Dino Babers will be revered by the fan base for the Orange is the New Fast product. Lets hope I’m right.